Reuters cameraman 'killed by Israeli tank'

Thursday 17 April 2008 11.54 EDT
First published on Thursday 17 April 2008 11.54 EDT

Medical examination of the body of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana confirms that he was killed by an Israeli tank shell in Gaza yesterday, according to the news agency.

Shana, the 23-year-old Reuters cameraman killed in an explosion in Gaza, also appears to have captured footage of a tank opening fire on the vehicle in which he was travelling.

The cameraman, who died along with two youths who were nearby, had stepped away from his vehicle to film an Israeli tank dug in several hundred metres away, according to a report filed by Reuters.

Fadel Shana: the Reuters cameraman killed in Gaza

Video from Shana's camera shows the tank opening fire, and two seconds after the recoil from the gun raises dust around the Israeli armoured vehicle the tape goes blank. This is thought to be the moment that Shana was hit.

Reuters said that a medical examination showed that metal darts from an Israeli tank shell that exploded in the air caused Shana's death.

X-rays displayed by doctors who examined the camerman's body at Gaza's Shifa hospital showed several of the weapons, known as flechettes, embedded in Shana's chest and legs. Several of the 3cm long darts were also found in his flak jacket and vehicle.